Iowa State University Top Questions

I would give myself the advise of doing what you want. Yes, studying is important, but have fun and meet people while you're at school. You will only go to college once (hopefully), so have fun while you attend school. Dont' be afriad to ask for help; it will help you later on.

I would tell myself to go straight to Iowa State University. I transferred to ISU after playing Division II soccer in college for a year. I would have told myself to not spend the money on that year, save it, and go stright to The College of Design.

If I were to go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior, I would encourage myself to be more appreciative of my family and friends. Being away at college now, I never realized how much I relied on their constant support. It is hard to be over three hours from home, but I take time to call them and tell them about my day. The advice that I would give myself would be to not sweat the small things about leaving, but to cherish the time you have with your family and friends back at home. It is so hard to say goodbye at first, but once you realize that they will always be there to support you, the transition is so much easier.

Dear Self:You weren’t a bad student in high school but there is always room for improvement. Now that I am a college student, I find myself thinking back to what I could have improved upon while attending high school. During high school I studied, but only studied to “get by” and pass tests. Now, I study to gain and retain knowledge for my professional career. Second, you shouldn't have gotten caught up in the drama of your high school peers because that's not what life is all about! Where are those so-called friends now and how important are they in your future endeavors? Third, save your money. You don’t realize how expensive education is until you begin to pay for it. Fourth, I’m glad you had fun in high school, but you could have been more disciplined in managing your time. Fifth, I have a newfound respect for school faculty. In high school, I always felt like faculty were parents – the necessary evils in my education. Sixth, I wished I had the self-esteem in high school that I have now. Seventh, stay away from the dating game and stay focused!

If I could go back to being a senior in high school I would tell myself to apply for more scholarships. It is so expensive to go to college and I don't want to have to pay for college for the rest of my life. I would suggest going to a community college first and getting any classes out of the way that you can. It makes it a whole lot easier when transferring to a uniiversity. I also think that if you are not sure what you are wanting to do for a career you should save some money and start at a community college.

The advice I would give myself would be to expect more to be demanded of a college student than a high school student. I was able to breeze through high school without giving much thought or care to taking significant time out of my life to dedicate to actually understanding material for a class. It is extremely important to create a schedule for completing coursework to avoid falling behind. Often in high school one could get by without fully understanding a concept but in college every topic discussed in a class is likely to show up on exams, including the cumulative final. Do not be afraid to fail; persevere till the end. Also, I would tell myself to be more open to making friends and finding activities to relieve stress. College life is not purely academic and I struggled my first semester to find a way to unwind. This idea falls under taking care of oneself. In college there is help, but quality of living is entirely up a person. If one is not responsible for their diet and sleep habits then he or she will crash and burn. Many of these ideas will eventually be learned the hard way.

I would tell myself not to be so worried. I would also tell myself to keep up the good work and socialize while at college. I would also tell myself to make sure I have my priorities straight and focus more on school than work.

I would definitely tell myself to slow down and examine all of the opportunities that Iowa State has to offer, especially in concern to area of study. I would slap myself in the face and say that my studying habits from high school aren't going to get you anywhere in college. I would say just because you think you don't have enough time to get involved, get involved right away anyway. I would say, talk to the professors. They are like big teddy-bears with PhDs. I would say to apply for every single scholarship there is, not matter how it seems unlikely to go to you. Everything makes a difference, and a lot of money goes unrewarded. I would say to go to the career fairs, even as a freshman. They help you prepare for real, professional interactions and possibly will land you an intership or job in the future. I would tell myself to not be afraid to go talk to the advisors whenever you have a question. They really can help. And last of all, I would tell myself to not worry so much. There are a lot of things you cannot control, have fun.

I would tell myself to apply to all the scholarships you could. Your parents weren't lying; college is expensive. Remember when you quit your second job because you wanted a life over summer? Yeah, shouldn't do that. Eighty dollars a week doesn't sound like much, but eventually you'll have a cell phone bill, a car insurance bill, a food bill, and a dozen others. And don't be so shy. Life is too short to worry about what anyone else is going to think. In twenty years the things you actually tried for will mean a great deal more than what you hadn't tried. Lastly, going to community college was a good move. Don't listen to Kelly or Ryan or all the rest, because right in the future they'll be facing the panic of student loans. Trust me, I know.

If I could go back in time and talk to my high school self I would tell myself to become more social. I focused a lot of my time first semester on academics and didnt make as many friends as I wanted to. Also, I would tell myself to get a job because college is expensive and having a budget is tough to manage when you dont have any cash to back it up. Lastly, I would tell my self to have fun because no matter what school you go to you'll always have a good time and meet new people.